Fact of the day

Information is the most powerful weapon.

Monday

Fact N°
2084

The Flat Earth society has been relaunched and has reopened its membership.

Relaunched one year ago, the current Flat Earth Society is a continuation of the organization founded in 1956. The society claimed thousands of members at its height, who -- in case it isn't explicit from context -- literally believe that the Earth is a disc-shaped mass, surrounded by a wall of ice. According to The Guardian, its current president, Daniel Shenton, is entirely mainstream in many of his scientific views -- he believes in evolution and happily makes use of GPS -- but just happens to also believe that the Earth is flat, based on the evidence that it appears that way.

Tuesday

Fact N°
2085

The "X" in "Xmas" is a 1,000-year-old abbreviation.

"Christ" has been abbreviated with an "X" by Christians for at least 1,000 years, the Greek letter Chi standing for the first letter of Jesus' Greek name, Xristos; the shortened form, not intended as a sign of disrespect to Christianity, was merely popular shorthand for Christ's Mass. The Online Etymology Dictionary dates a reference to "Xres masse," appearing in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, to 1100 A.D.

Wednesday

Fact N°
2086

During World War II, one British officer went to battle with a longbow and claymore.

Lieutenant Colonel Jack Churchill, dubbed "Mad Jack," was an officer in the respected Manchester Regiment, famous for his iconoclasm and impulsive heroics. (He's the source of the quote "In my opinion, sir, any officer who goes into action without his sword is improperly dressed," his response to being asked about the presence of his Scottish blade.) Churchill tooled around the battlefield on a motorcycle, led his men playing the bagpipes and conducted daring commando raids, during which he actually used his sword and bow in combat. A professional soldier for most of his life, Churchill went on to appear as an extra in Ivanhoe (as an archer), and died peacefully in 1996 at the age of 89.

Thursday

Fact N°
2087

The Know Nothings stole part of the Washington Monument.

The Know Nothings -- the nativist American political party most recently illustrated by the character of Bill the Butcher in Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York -- were at the height of their influence in the years leading up to the onset of the Civil War. Immigration exploded in the 1850s, allowing the Know Nothings to carry major New England cities on the tide of anti-immigrant sentiment. Their official political wing was the American Party, members of which stole the granite block donated by Pope Pius IX for the Washington Monument and threw it in the Potomac. The monument wound up sitting half-completed until after the war.

Friday

Fact N°
2088

The operation of iTunes costs roughly a billion dollars a year.

The largest music retailer in the country also does a brisk business in iTunes apps, comparable in volume to the amount of music sold. Considering the cost of bandwidth and the amount Apple retains for iTunes operations, app producer Asymco estimates a billion-dollar annual operating budget -- which, though high, is indicative of the service's increasing popularity (Apple keeps 30% of app revenue, 20% more than it does with music).

Saturday

Fact N°
2089

Thousands of Confederates emigrated to Brazil following the Civil War.

Following the conclusion of the American Civil War, millions of Confederates left the south, and the Emperor of Brazil offered them land incentives in the hopes that they would bring and cultivate cotton crops. Thousands took the offer, despite prominent southerners like Robert E. Lee and Jefferson Davis advising against it, and settled in Sao Paolo, giving the name to the city of Vila dos Americanos, now called Americana.

Sunday

Fact N°
2090

Intelligent men are more likely to cheat.

Evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa explains that this correlation isn't a causative one; intelligent men (and women) aren't more likely to cheat because of their intelligence, necessarily. But intelligence does coincide with traits like social desirability and physical attractiveness, providing intelligent people with the opportunity for sexual encounters beyond the scope of their relationships. This theory is reinforced by answers given to the General Social Survey, which found that men and women with higher IQs were more likely to have had affairs.